The Rocking Dead (#Wattys2018)

Chapter 8: Bargaining

Vince's POV: It's been an hour since I've seen Keifer. At least we know Blackie's gone full-on reclusive and that's why we haven't seen him. But Keifer's a different story.

"Either of you guys seen Tom?" I asked, walking up to Jeff and Mick. Mick shook his head.

"No. He's been gone for a while." Jeff said.

"What's wrong?" Paul asked as he walked up with Sebastian.

"You guys see Keifer anywhere?" I asked. They shook their heads. "Looks like he's gone missing."

"So did my directions to the sanctuary." Sebastian revealed.

"And all his weapons and ammo are missing from our place." Jeff chimed in.

"You don't think-" Mick trailed off. I thought about it for a moment. It seemed likely.

"Oh fuck." Was all I could get out. He's gone to the sanctuary.

"What are we gonna do?" Jeff asked.

"If we go, we risk Negan flipping out, taking Tom, and keeping Penelope." Sebastian said.

"Just let him do his thing." I said.

"What?!" Jeff exclaimed, "I'm not gonna let you get my friend killed by that fucking monster!"

"If we go to get him we risk him and the kid being killed." I explained, "Maybe even one of us. Tom's a good enough negotiator to at least get the kid out alive. When she gets back here, then we go for him. Everyone understand that?" We all looked at each other in agreement. "Good."

•

Tom's POV: I felt as if I was driving for an eternity. Perhaps it's the nerves and anger building in my body. Confronting Negan head on is overwhelming, especially considering this is only my second encounter with this guy. The first time I was on my knees, cowering in front of him so he wouldn't kill me. Now I'm going to demand he give me back Blackie's adopted kid in exchange for a few guns and some ammo. Could I be confronting my death head on? It's a huge possibility. But I'm going to take that risk if it means getting Penelope back to Blackie.

Eventually, I arrived at the sanctuary gates. Two men, I'm assuming guards, approached my car.

"What the hell do you want?" The one on my side asked.

"I'm here to make a deal with Negan." I said. The man chuckled.

"And what makes you think we're gonna let you do that pretty boy?" He said, leaning on the car window.

"Because that asshole you call your leader has my friend's little kid in there. And I'm here to make an exchange." I sternly said. The man looked at the other one, concerned. After a moment, he signaled for the gates to open, and I drove inside. I saw him talking into a walkie talkie through my side mirror. I assume he's contacting Negan.

Once inside, I got out of the car and grabbed the duffel bag out of the trunk. I heard a metal door open and shut.

"Well well well, look who we have here." Came Negan's voice. I closed the trunk and walked to the front of the car. He was smiling while holding Penelope in his arms. She reached out for me, but Negan gently pushed her arms back. "Tom fucking Keifer." He continued, "Y'know, I was a big fan of your band before this whole thing started. I mean, 'Somebody Save Me' is a kick ass song. So, what brings you here?"

"Cut the crap Negan, you know why I'm here." I sternly said, my eyes narrow.

"Oh, is that how you treat your fans?" He sarcastically asked.

"As far as I'm concerned a fan wouldn't pull the shit you did." I replied. His smile faded.

"Why are you here?" Negan asked, wanting to get to the point. I tossed the duffel back in front of him. He looked at it, then at me, then shrugged his shoulders.

"That bag contains all my weapons and ammo." I started, "Not Rick's group's, not my group's, mine. It's not a lot, but you get it all if you give me the kid back." Negan chuckled.

"And why would I do that for only a couple weapons?" He said, staring me down.

"Do you really want to traumatize an innocent kid?" I said, "Huh? Taking her away from the man who saved her in all of this, the man she now sees as her father figure, don't you think that's gonna mess her up, even a little? Besides, isn't that what you want? Weapons? You seem to have a fixation with violence. How do you know these few guns won't help you?" Negan stared at me, licking his lips. This man was so intimidating during the lineup, but now that I realize he's no taller than me and I can look him directly in the eye, he's not scary at all.

"Just give me the kid."

Negan looked at me, then at the bag, then back at me. I could tell he was thinking about it...